Commercial vehicles must be equipped with the appropriate emergency equipment. Equipment should include a fire extinguisher, emergency reflectors, and spare fuses, if applicable.

If you begin to feel sleepy while driving, the only safe response is to stop driving and get some sleep. Attempting to fight off exhaustion is dangerous and a major cause of fatal crashes. Stimulants are not a safe solution because they may help keep you awake but will not make you more alert. Once stimulants wear off, you will be even more tired than you were originally.

Speeding up too quickly on a road with poor traction could cause a driver to lose control of their vehicle. In conditions that cause poor traction, a driver should accelerate especially smoothly and gradually.

To help prevent theft or vandalism, charter bus drivers should not allow passengers to board the vehicle until departure time.

Commercial drivers are required by federal and state laws to inspect their vehicles before every trip. Regular inspections can help drivers identify issues before they become dangerous and costly.

Texting while driving a commercial motor vehicle is both illegal and dangerous. Manually entering text into or reading text from any electronic device is considered texting.

While testing for a CDL, an applicant will be required to go through a full vehicle inspection. The vehicle inspection test will include an engine oil level check.

When approaching a curve during the on-road driving skills test, you must reduce your speed sufficiently before entering the curve so that you do not need to further brake or shift in the curve. Keep the vehicle in its lane and continue to check for traffic in all directions.

Mandatory emergency equipment includes: at least one fire extinguisher; spare electrical fuses (unless the vehicle is equipped with circuit breakers); and warning devices for parked vehicles (such as reflective triangles).

Low beam headlights allow you to see about 250 feet ahead of your vehicle. When driving at night, adjust your speed so that you will be able to stop in the distance illuminated by your headlights.

Driving while fatigued is dangerous. Warning signs of fatigue include difficulty focusing; repeated yawning or rubbing of the eyes; daydreaming or wandering thoughts; and drifting out of your lane.

Most heavy vehicles with manual transmissions require double clutching to change gears. A driver should release the accelerator, push in the clutch, and shift into neutral at the same time. After releasing the clutch and allowing the vehicle to change to the necessary speed, the driver should push in the clutch, shift gears, then simultaneously release the clutch and accelerate.

Factors that can affect your vehicle's stopping distance include driving speed, the vehicle's weight, and the slipperiness of the road surface.

Cargo should be inspected before beginning a trip, within the first 50 miles of the trip, and every three hours or 150 miles traveled. The driver of a truck transporting cargo is responsible for the cargo being safely secured throughout the trip.

Black ice is a thin layer of ice that is clear enough for the road surface to be seen through it. A road covered in black ice may look like it is merely wet.

If a trailer is attached to a tractor, the adjustment of the vehicle's mirrors can only be checked accurately if the trailer is straight.

Be especially cautious when driving on ice that has begun to melt. Ice that is wet is much more slippery than ice that is dry.

After starting your vehicle during the pre-trip inspection, you should watch the gauges. The coolant temperature should gradually rise to a normal operating range.

When exiting your vehicle during the basic vehicle control skills test, you must face the vehicle and maintain three points of contact at all times. If your testing vehicle is a bus, you must maintain contact with the handrail. Exiting the vehicle incorrectly may result in automatic failure of the basic control skills test.

A passive railroad crossing is a crossing that lacks control devices, like gates or warning lights. Before crossing a passive railroad crossing, you should search the tracks for approaching trains coming from either direction.